Military Occupational Publication: A Personal Analysis

Knowledge is the key to being able to come up with an effective plan. Therefore, the more knowledge held the better the plan will be. When it comes to irregular warfare, Marines will need to have knowledge on many different things, the first being the enemy. Acquiring every detail possible about the enemy will give Marines an understanding of what exactly the enemy is capable of with the numbers, assets, and leadership they have. Second is the enemy’s target population. Having a greater knowledge on the population will allow Marines to understand how the enemy might use the resources available to sway the population. The last piece of knowledge is history. General James Mattis said, “We have been fighting on this planet for 5,000 years and we should take advantage of their experience.” By studying and obtaining the knowledge of conflicts throughout history, Marines will be able to use that information to devise a course of

I believe a leader has many things to describe them. They have many characteristics, for example the 14 leadership traits. J.J.D.I.D.T.I.E.B.U.C.K.L.E. I’ll write them in my own words and what they mean to me. I believe the LT judgment is the ability to weigh the starting, midway, and outcome of any decision and decide which would be best for his junior marines, which way would be able to incorporate the strength of his marines, be open for other suggestions too because there are so many angles that a situation can be looked at and you might miss something when someone might see it, and most of all be able to carry out the mission the most successful way possible. Next is justice, I believe that justice is a good thing to have when it’s

Out of my time in the Marine Corps I have come to notice that my though process has become almost autonomous. Many people know the Marine Corps has a strict command structure however, we operate using a very decentralized system. I would have to say that due to this my strongest characteristic would be Intellectual autonomy which is defined as willingness and ability to think for oneself. The ability to make decisions for my self and my Marines not only gives a more direct link and quicker reaction time to situations but it also allows my marines to grow confidence in the decisions I make. On the Battlefield my Marines and I are faced with taking a piece of key terrain (KT105) that could turn the tide of the fight. There are a number of enemy combatants between my squad and KT105. Although most of the enemy combatants are untrained they have a number of small arms and one machine gun nest posted 100m

In America, we enjoy many freedoms: liberty, life, and the pursuit of happiness; these freedoms are often taken for granted by Americans. Many do not realize that these freedoms did not come with ease, nor do they remain without someone to protect them. America is truly the best nation because of the freedoms it grants to every citizen; without these fundamental ideas, America would not be what it is today. The branches of military have and continue to protect these freedoms. Military officers are the glue that holds each branch of military together, without them, the services would be in disarray. However, an officer must possess certain qualities that allow them to be a successful leader.

First to Fight is a essential book for all marines regardless of rank and profession as it is especially beneficial to the junior ranks of the Marine Corps. The historical and personal accounts that General Victor Krulak provides the reader gives an in-depth look into the

Imagine sitting in a helicopter that is taking to a battle ground were an estimated 2000 enemy troops are awaiting your arrival. You know you are heavily outnumbered but regardless you have a mission to complete. The lives of your subordinates sit in the brink as they are counting on your ability to make split second decisions, employ meticulously devised tactics, and give precise orders. These are the challenges Lieutenant General Harold “Hal” Moore faced on 14 Nov 1965 during the first battle of the Vietnam War

Veteran’s today face many challenges as they seek civilian jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2014 report more than 190,000 of the 2.8 million Gulf War II Veterans cannot find work, USMAP could help resolve this issue (Watson, 2014). Senior Enlisted Leaders need to understand the advantages USMAP in order to provide transitioning service members from active duty to civilian life. This paper will provide the background information, discussion, and recommendation for the increased use of USMAP.

Imagine sitting in a helicopter that is taking to a battle ground were an estimated 2000 enemy troops are awaiting your arrival. You know you are heavily outnumbered but regardless, you have a mission to complete. The lives of your subordinates sit in the brink as they are counting on your ability to make split second decisions, employ meticulously devised tactics, and give precise orders. These are the challenges Lieutenant General Harold “Hal” Moore faced on 14 Nov 1965 during the first battle of the Vietnam War.

Throughout history, The United States has been involved in many confrontations with various types of enemies. As a military force, we try to learn from the mistakes made. We have After Action Reviews in order to find out how we can change our plans for future battles. We change our Field Manuals and Army Regulations in order to fit those plans. However, there are rare instances when things work out perfectly. When the doctrine created for training and organization match perfectly to the battles we face. Unfortunately for us, when things go so well, we think we have the perfect plan. It isn’t until future confrontations that we learn how wrong we are.

History has shown us that though it’s lifetime, the Marine Corps has and will continue to participate in small wars due to its operational nature of being a power projection force that is always ready. From the Banana Wars of the early 20th century to the most recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Marine Corps has found itself in conflicts vice the large conventional wars that it trains for. Although there is no “one size fits all” approach to the challenges of small wars, as the Joint Operational Environment, 2010, points out, we “(t)he great difficulty U.S. forces will confront in facing irregular warfare is that such conflicts require a thorough understanding of the cultural, religious, political, and historical context within which they are being fought” (pg 67). What this means for the Marine Corps is its approach to in preparing for war must evolve to take into consideration the many facets of why the conflict is being fought/ what is causing the conflict and how balance the Force to provide stability to best win them. Success lies in focusing on the aspects of small wars that intertwine with each other and have proven to be effective across the range of conflict. While there is no type of small war that is more important than another, there is a common element in small wars that the Marine Corps is suited for take into consideration and develop.

With the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq coming to a close, the Marine Corps has found itself reverting back to its maritime traditions. As the Marine Corps footprint continues to shrink in Iraq and Afghanistan, Marines will find themselves aboard ships once again and serving their primary role as the Nation’s force in readiness. This leaves many questioning what the Marine Corps’ future role in irregular warfare will be. In the words of former Commandant General James T. Conway, “We must be a two fisted fighter – able to destroy our enemy formations with our scalable air-ground-logistics teams in major contingencies, but equally able to employ our hard earned irregular warfare skills hones over decades of conflict” (Conway). It is not yet time for the Marine Corps to hang up those boots! The Marine Corps can and will continue to serve as a key component of irregular warfare as it will continue to train and improve irregular warfare tactics to aid those nations with struggling governments from being overtaken by insurgencies/terrorist groups.

should consider while engaging irregular threats, and are an integral part of leadership as a

The Navy including the Marines must be able to conduct multiple missions simultaneously to overpower the enemy and thwart their forces through joint, collaborated, and swift operations. The application of amphibious doctrine is a complex unified effort requiring a high level of shared knowledge between the various military forces involved (Spiller, 1992).

The concept of close order drill has been used in some form in every war since the inception of the U.S. Marine Corps, and the practice still proves useful in the twenty-first century. It is much more than the Silent Drill Platoon performing on commercials to attract young adults to the military. This art form is being set aside in Marine Corps after a decade of war; even though drill influences combat efficiency by instilling precision, automatic response to orders and develops assertive leaders.

In the early 1980s, a growing school of thought in the Marine Corps argued that the military over-emphasized Attrition Warfare in order to defend against the Soviet Union. In 1989, General A.M. Gray provided the Marine Corps with an innovative philosophy on warfare, entitled Fleet Marine Force Manual-1 (FMFM-1), Warfighting. This capstone doctrine centered on an unfamiliar style called Maneuver Warfare. This style of warfare is defined as a “philosophy that seeks to shatter the enemy’s cohesion through a series of rapid, violent, and unexpected actions which create a turbulent and rapidly deteriorating situation with which he cannot cope.” Adoption of this style of warfare was perceived as an antithetical shift